Tributes have been paid to the actor who played Tinky Winky, the handbag-carrying Teletubbie in the BBC children’s series, who has passed away just four days after his 52nd birthday.

Simon Shelton Barnes, a father-of-three, lived in the Georgian market town of Ampthill, Bedfordshire.

He added: “We used to receive a lot of fan mail from children and parents.”

Among the tributes that poured in for him was one from Paul McCartney’s brother Mike McGear, a second cousin of Simon’s former wife Emma, Mirror Online reports.

Tinky Winky, Laa-Laa, Dipsy and Po were created in Stratford-upon-Avon some 20 years ago.

The custard-slurping Teletubbies ruled the Beeb’s junior channel, CBeebies, from 1997 to 2001.

The characters were created by Stratford-based Ragdoll Productions and they even enjoyed chart success.

Tinky Winky (Image: BBC)

Eh Oh! reached No 1 in December 1997, stayed in the Top 75 for 32 weeks and sold more than a million copies.

In 1999, Tinky Winky was “outed” as a gay role model by American Baptist pastor Jerry Falwell on the basis that “he is purple, the gay pride colour, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle, the gay pride symbol.”

The claims were later rubbished by Solihull’s Nikky Smedly, who played yellow-suited Laa-Laa. She said: “What kind of person can take obvious innocence and turn it into something else?

"We were hardly sexual beings.”

Mike wrote on her Facebook page: “So sad to hear about Si. He was a luvly lad..and will be dancing along Uncle Bills bar, knocking Mum&Dad, Milly&Ginny, Mike &Betts drinks off, as we talk! Luv to U & kids from me & mine X”

Simon’s son Henry posted on Facebook: “I lost my lovely dad on Wednesday, he was the kindest and most gentle man I knew and I love him more than anything!!!!

"I always used to be embarrassed as a child that he was a dancer and an actor but now I couldn’t be more proud! He is in a better place now and I know he wouldn’t want me to be sad, so I’m going to live my life the way he would want me to.”

Friends who drank with Simon in the Queen’s Head pub in Ampthill also paid tribute on Facebook. Jonathan Duckett wrote: “What a legend, so extremely sad to hear this news.”

Lanie Bryer added: “Very sad, he was lovely. Always a smile and a chat.”

His Tinky Winky character once caused controversy in the States where evangelical TV minister Jerry Falwell accused him of being gay.

(Image: BBC)

But Simon said: “People always ask me if Tinky Winky is gay. But the character is supposed to be a three-year-old so the question is really quite silly.”

Relatives have asked mourners to “wear bright colours” at his funeral at Bedford Crematorium on February 7.

Simon wasn't the first actor to play Tinky Winky - the original, Dave Thompson, left the show in 1997 when the BBC told him his "interpretation of the role was not acceptable".

Dave had admitted in an interview that he played the character as gay.

As well as his work on Teletubbies, Simon played the terrifying Dark Knight in the 1990s CBBC show Incredible Games, challenging the likes of Keith Chegwin, David Walliams and Philippa Forrester to battles.